The Dialogue Doctor Podcast

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Scott Veatch to talk about his work in process. They dig deep into one of Scott's scenes to talk about maintaining the emotional impact of the scene, using emotion to communicate dialogue, maintaining consistency in inner thought, and more. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, 8 members of the dialogue doctor community sent in pitches of their work. Jeff sits down with Lindsey Hughes to discuss the goods and bads of each pitch. Whether you are pitching your book to an agent, your screenplay, or your book to amazon, the lessons in this episode will be helpful. To find Lindsey and her work, check out https://thepitchmaster.com/ For more on the craft of wr...

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with author Lisa Bonneau to talk over her plot. They use tarot cards to work out the various plot beats. T o work with JP or to learn more about the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author WV Rarick to look at WV's work in progress. They discuss when you should reveal how your character looks, using dialogue tags to change emotional context of an exchange, when to add prose to clarify emotions, and making sure your character growth arcs are clean and easy for the reader to follow. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialogu...

In this episode, the Godfather of the Dialogue Doctor Podcast, J Thorn returns to talk about a new AI tool he has created. Using multiple AI Engines J talks about how he analyzes manuscripts. In the process of discussing his new tool, J and Jeff speculate on the state of the market and on the future of book-selling and AI. To find J's tool, check out https://www.fiverr.com/jthornwriter/critique-yo...

In this special episode, the coaches handle topics raised by the Dialoggers. After catching up on their work, the coaches discuss branding, social media, and organizing complex tasks.   To work with one of our coaches, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/coaching/  

In this episode, Laura Humm and author Mary Van Everboeck talk about Mary's work. They discuss what Mary is hoping for from her work, how she has evolved as a part of the Dialogue Doctor community, combining thrillers and literary fiction, how to lay out a story, and more. If you want to join the Dialogue Doctor Community, or want to learn more about the craft of writing, check out https://dialogu...

In this episode of the Dialogue Doctor, our poetry teacher Edward Gillespie returns to teach Jeff all about Allen Ginsberg. They read some of Ginsberg's poetry, discuss the historical importance of his work, and then try to grapple with the controversies surrounding him. To find Ed's work, go to https://apprenticehouse.com/qa-with-edward-doyle-gillespie-author-of-gentrifying-the-plague-house/ For...

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Emma Jane Heaton to talk about the three book science fiction series Emma is working on. They discuss writing when you only have short bursts of time, keeping the complexity of a plot interesting for readers, intertwining multiple POV plots, and moving through a trilogy. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dial...

In this episode, Jeff and several of the Dialoggers discuss the Netflix romantic comedy, Nobody Wants This. They talk about the cast, how the personalities interact, and how we can use the VEAH System (Vehicles, Engines, Anchors, and Hazards) to build our own casts that work. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Tom Holbrook returns for another Time with Tom. In this episode, Tom and Jeff break down their favorite stories recently, talk about the difference and similarities between fiction and non-fiction editing, and Tom shares some huge news.

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Lisa Bonneau to look at the story she is working on. Lisa comes to the session with three questions: How to increase the emotional tension of a scene? 2. How to create more artistic sounding body language? 3. When to add body language into a piece? In response, Jeff breaks down how emotions work on the page and the different tools we as writers have to e...

In this episode, Jeff interviews Emily Barrosse from Bold Story Press. They discuss Emily's 32 years in the publishing industry, how she has seen publishing evolve, her advice for new writers entering the industry, her passion for publishing female voices, and much more. To find Emily and Bold Story Press, go to https://www.boldstorypress.com/ For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialog...

In this episode, Laura Humm sits down for an Ask Me Anything session with author Julie Catherine. They talk about using different plot frameworks across a series, how a character grows across a series, points of view in a romance, how to distinguish differing points of view, how character growth arcs impact the plot of the romance, and more. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dial...

In this episode, Jeff and Laura come together for a Q&A. Questions from the Dialoggers included: ---How do you keep track of everything for long, complex stories with elaborate world building? ---How do you make a novel's opening scene engaging while also needing to establish 'the new world'?  ---Considering how expensive audio books are to produce, at what point should an indie author jump on it?...

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX holds Office Hours with three authors. Office Hours are times when authors and hangout with a Dialogue Doctor Coach and ask questions they have. In this episode, JP and that authors discuss what to do when the middle of your book starts to fade, how do you keep someone interested in your character as you build out the character's problem ove...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Dillon Mesquitta to talk about Dillon's work in progress. They discuss the structure of Dillon's dialogue and look at the emotional flow of Dillon's characters. For more on the craft of writing, go to https://dialoguedoctor.com/

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Carol Painter to talk about her work in progress. They discuss a difficult character who's story ends in tragedy. They discuss the character's negative choices, how the character is going to change, and how that builds into the themes of the book. They then look at scenes together in which the character is making choices. If you want more on the craft of...

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coaches Jeff Elkins and JP Rindfleisch IX discuss "The Dip" by Seth Godin. Jeff walks JP through the book and they talk about how it should inform author's decision and shape (or not shape) and author's mindset. For more on the craft of writing, check out https://dialoguedoctor.com/  

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach Laura Humm sits down with author Dennis Kurlas to talk about a scene in Dennis' work in progress. They talk through the beats of the scene. They discuss how to keep an emotional flow through the beats, why beats should be deleted, and how to keep beats rolling from one to the next. Also, Jeff talks about his time at the annual conference for the Maryland Writ...

In this episode, Jeff talks with thought leader and inspirational thinker Honoree Corder. They discuss accepting yourself and your work, the power of visualization, having rigor and discipline with your art and life, why marketing is a necessity, and why authors shouldn't be a afraid of it. To find more about Honoree and engage deeper in her thought, check out https://honoreecorder.com/ For more o...

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch the IX holds and Ask Me Anything session with Payton Lyle. After hearing what Payton wants from her story, JP breaks down her story with her. They talk about her Story Hypothesis, her characters' growth arcs, deepening the romance, and much more. Get your copy of the Story Hypothesis here: https://www.amazon.com/Story-Hypothesis-Missing-Fiction...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with The Pitch Master, Lindsey Hughes to talk about pitching your story. They discuss the difference between a screenplay and a novel. Lindsey gives networking tips, and Lindsey walks Jeff through give long and short pitches to stories. For more of Lindsey's work, check out https://thepitchmaster.com/ Also, come and get coaching at https://dialoguedoctor.com/coachin...

In this episode, Dialogue Doctor Coach JP Rindfleisch IX sits down with Farriz Mashudi to look at her first chapter and talk about her story. JP and Farriz discuss how to increase tension, ensuring the reader understands where all the characters are, character growth arcs, the Story Hypothesis, and making a first chapter as powerful as possible while being aware of word count. To get a copy of the...

In this episode, Jeff sits down with author Michele Berger. They discuss Michele's new book Doll Seed and then pivot to examining the writing of Walter Mosley. Michele is the Eric and Jane Nord Family Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and director of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University. If you are interested in Michele's new book, you can find...